Agassi and Ecstasy

Born to an Iranian immigrant father who had participated in two Olympics, Andre Agassi and his three siblings were raised to be stars on the court. Sent off to the Bollettieri Tennis and Sports Academy in Florida at age 13, he turned pro at 16 and won his first grand slam title at Wimbledon at 22. He has subsequently won the U.S. Open once (1994), the Australian Open twice (1995, 1996), the Olympic gold in Atlanta and sporadically has been ranked #1 in the world. In an era dominated by the diffident and restrained Pete Sampras, Agassi has been the media darling: flamboyant, given to tantrums and profanity on court, coloring his hair or shaving his head, wearing eccentric clothing--taking up where Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe left off, at least in the U.S. But as Las Vegas Review-Journal sports editor Bauman points out in this even-handed biography, the flip side is a man inconsistent on the court and insecure off it. A crowd-pleasing bio, even if kinder to Papa Agassi than most journalists have been. 50,000 first printing. (Sept.)